Pangasinan is blessed to have the beautiful and iconic tourist destinations, thank you to the well-known Hundred Islands and the beaches of Patar in Bolinao. where tourists usually flock in during peak season.

I have always dreamed of exploring this farfetched beach of Dasol, Pangasinan province after seeing photographs on the web and other blogs. Because of its distance and challenging commuting premises proves daunting to my end. However, crediting the Pampanga Blogger’s Society for making my Dasol dream a reality.

UNDERSTANDING ITS LOCATION

When we think of Pangasinan beaches, Bolinao is one of the forefronts of the province, including the iconic Hundread Islands National Park. Truly, these beaches and shoreline are equally beautiful and stunning, offering myriad of sights and activities.

Dasol is now gaining popularity to the local tourists and is now creating a buzz in social media. The municipality of Dasol is located at the Southwest corner , the almost southern door of Pangasinan from Zambales province.

You can commute or drive to Dasol with two routes. The route passing Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac and Pangasinan provinces, and the route passing by Zambales province, traversing the elongated province from South to North.

SITES TO VISIT AROUND TAMBOBONG, DASOL

White Beach of Tambobong

Powdery white sand, finer than of Bolinao’s Patar Beach, this beautiful beach strategically faces the southern direction where you would enjoy both the sunrise and sunset at the same day. The water is cool and clean surprisingly not itchy. Enjoy the late afternoon swim here and watch the spectacular sunset as you swim and play at the beach.

Cave Pool

 

 

A short trek from Tambobong Beach, you would pass by a stony and rocky trodden trail and descend a quite steep footpath leading to the clear and cold cave pool. The swimming area is not tucked deep in the cave as natural light still reaches the area.

 

 

Note that the mouth of the cave is under a canopy of trees, hence, mosquitoes – insect repellants comes in handy. Easy-does-it steps as you descend to the natural and you do not want to find yourself log rolling down and landing on sharp rocks below.

Culebra Island

A small island which is less than an hour boat ride from Tambobong Beach where we spent the first half of day roaming around and taking photographs around. The island has a grassy center with a portion of white sand beach and rocky shore at the side. The island now has huts where visitors can stay and lounge in the island.

Flags and stone formations naturally decorate the island, a perfect spot where you can enjoy the ocean and sun, and that main land Luzon as your ultra backdrop. We tried to snorkel at the sandy beach area, there are not as much as coral formation on the shallow portions but few schools of fishes swam with us. Unfortunately, the waves are high and are snorkeling activity was cut short, adding up the quite strong sea current dragging us to the other side of the island.

 

Culebra Island is worth visiting and a must in your itinerary while in Dasol.

 

Lagataras Island

After we visited Culebra Island, we headed to the eastern end of Tambobong Beach where Lagataras Island is located. Rough and rocky as you can see from afar from the shore,  a short visit in this spot would lead you where birds freely fly around plus its clear cool waters you can try to snorkel.

Although there are not much coral formation in this area, you can try and practice your freediving skills here. At the time of our visit, the waters are cooler near the island which made me snorkelling and swimming shortlived, I returned to our boat the soonest I started chilling. Is it worth it? Truly! The water is really clear.

Salabusuban Falls (man made dam like structure)

This is a man made dam-like structure which is stagnant during the summer months. Best to visit days after rain. During our visit, the reservoir is stagnant with noticeable moss due to the recent dry weather prior our visit. However, be here before sunset and the sky cast a beautiful lighting perfect for photoshoot. The trees surrounding serves also as a good backdrop with the warm light from the setting sun.

There is no sign at its junction and a travel guide comes in handy during your exploration around Dasol.

Malacapas View Deck

This view deck would be unusual because of its lacking physical structures for tourist to lounge comparing to usual view decks we know around the country. A simple signage would just inform you that you are already in Malacapas. Best to visit during sunset.

Should you miss this spot? No! As you traverse the undulating road from the junction to Tambobong, you would pass this view deck first.

 

 

The view deck is located at least half an hour from Tambobong Beach and you need to traverse the undulating hilly road to get to this point. Why you should not miss this?

Why you should not miss this? The viewpoint is a naturally raised providing a commanding view of the Malacapas and rest of Dasol’s lowlands, from the hills down to plains up to Pangasinan’s shores. The warm light cast from the sunset turns the view from bland to alive! We are blessed to have a clear sky with feathery cirrus clouds and that mix of deep blue and orange hues mixing above us. Taking a photograph of the view is not enough, you have to really sit down and have a quiet time with yourself to digest the view.

 

LODGED IN

TAMBOBONG RAINS BEACH RESORT

A modest resort with beachfront huts and rooms fit for small family and a small group of friends. The bedrooms and bathrooms are quite cramped, but hey, you won’t spend much time in these rooms.

You can contact Ms. Aireen Cachero, proprietress, through their Facebook Beach Tambobong Rains Beach Resort